The Golden Jackal (Canis aureus) is one of the most widely distributed canid (dog family) species and is found in many areas of central, eastern, and southern Europe; northern Africa; and parts of Asia (with a range extending from the Arabian Peninsula into western Europe and east into Turkey, the Middle East, Central Asia, the entire Indian subcontinent and east and south to Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and parts of Indochina). During the past half century, Golden Jackal populations in Europe have undergone significant changes in both distribution and abundance, including dramatic declines (until the 1960s), recovery (1960s and 1970s), and expansion (from the early 1980s onwards). Expansion of Golden Jackals in eastern and central Europe is ongoing.

Golden Jackals live from the Sahel to the evergreen forests of Burma and Thailand. In Africa, they are found in semi-desert and short to medium grasslands and savannahs (but see below); in India and Bangladesh, they can be found in forested, mangrove, agricultural, rural, and semi-urban habitats. They are established up to 2000 m in India. Golden Jackals, which are primarily nocturnal, are opportunistic and omnivorous foragers, even approaching human habitations at night to forage for garbage. The basic social unit is the breeding pair, which is sometimes accompanied by its current litter of pups and/or by offspring from previous litters.

Golden Jackals exhibit substantial geographic and ecological variation across their range. Some of this variation, however, may be due to the presence of cryptic species. Genetic analyses by Rueness et al (2011) and Gaubert et al. (2012) followed up on previous suggestive genetic studies (and even earlier morphological data from T.H. Huxley and others) indicating that the taxon known as the Egyptian Jackal (C. aureus lupaster) is actually most closely related to the Gray Wolf than to any other canid, including Golden Jackals from elsewhere. This taxon is recognized as the African Wolf (Canis lupus lupaster). African wolves appear to be solitary and extremely shy, living at the periphery of family packs of Golden
Jackals. According to some reports, the African wolf may hunt larger livestock such as sheeps, goats and even cows, whereas the Golden Jackal is only observed preying on lambs. Golden Jackals may be harassed by African Wolves to gain access to carcasses being fed on by Golden Jackals. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNAindicate that the African Wolf may be widely distributed in North and West Africa, extending its range more than 6,000 km west from its previously determined range in northeastern Africa Further research will be necessary to resolve the relationship between Golden Jackals and African Wolves. It is possible that there has been extensive hybridization between the two in Africa or that the that the African golden jackal in North and West Africa is just an eco-morphological variant within the African Wolf lineage (Gaubert et al. 2012).

Over most its distribution, the Golden Jackal is fairly common, although it is thought to be declining in many areas due to habitat loss and modification. The Indian sub-continent is estimated to have at least 80,000 individuals.